Siblings in Love
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: Shizuka thought Jonouchi couldn't have made a better choice in picking his woman. Jonouchi/Mai, Shizuka/Mai


**A/N**: Written for the Femslash Fridays Competition: Write a story incorporating the idea of reincarnation. And Yugioh is one of the best fandoms for reincarnations.

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**Siblings in Love**

Shizuka loved her brother dearly, but she saw too little of him. At first, it was because of the divorce, and her youth. She couldn't go by train to see him; he rarely got money from his father to see her. Then it was her eyes, dying day by day until the white cloth wrapped around them did nothing to her view of the world. And then it was Jonouchi, running around getting into danger and saving the world without her.

She wanted to be with him. She wanted to save him from danger. She wanted to save the world with him. But Jonouchi wasn't even here anymore to save – and the ironic part of it all, the part that brought the most tears to her newly restored eyes, was that he'd been trying to save the woman he loved in that duel, and not the world.

It was only Mai, crying herself as she confessed the tale of her darkness and her brother's destruction. And it was so strange to see her cry; Shizuka remembered when she'd first met the woman: how strong she'd seemed. How independent. How she'd kicked any guy who though they could get the better of her. How she bantered with Jonouchi with a mix of arrogance and veiled respect. But she'd had a vulnerability then, a vulnerability that had cracked her calm exterior and seeped out, letting her drown. And Shizuka couldn't blame Mai for anything, because she loved her brother, and she liked Mai as well – maybe even had a little, unadmittable, crush on her. Her brother couldn't have gone for a better woman. And it had been her brother's choice to sacrifice everything to help her.

Just like it had been Mai's choice to get stronger on her own, without relying on others: a sentiment with which there was nothing wrong. But it had led to this…and even if Shizuka hadn't admired Mai so much, the tearful form that sat before her could be nothing save the epitome of regret and sorrow. How could she do _anything_, save collapse into tears herself? She couldn't; she could only bury her face into her hands and sob.

'I'm going to get him back.'

She looked up. Tears were still streaming down Mai's cheeks, but she was rubbing them away with one hand. Her gloves were black, Shizuka noticed. Black, and not the usual white. Mai's other hand was still on her lap, scrunched into a fist and shaking slightly, though her arm was taut as though resisting it.

'You're – going to duel,' Shizuka said, eventually, hiccupping slightly in her tears. She shook her head immediately. 'No! You can't – can't duel!' Her own hands clenched into fists.

'I have to.' Mai's voice was steady, though Shizuka could still see a new tears. 'This is my fault; I have to fix it. I…I can't forgive myself otherwise.'

'No!' Shizuka's hair went wild as she shook her head viciously, screwing her eyes shut. Her voice rose; if her mother had been home, she would have panicked, or been angry, but as it was it was only the two of them: Shizuka and Mai. 'Let someone else do it!' She didn't want to admit why; after Jonouchi, Mai was the closest person she had. She didn't want to lose her too.

Mai said nothing to that, but she took a card out of her holster and handed it to Shizuka. Shizuka took it, blinking at the claw-like image it showed and the odd colouring of the card. She wasn't too experienced with Duel Monsters still, but as far as she recalled, monster cards were orange, brown, light blue or dark purple depending on their type; magic cards green; trap cards a light purple. She didn't recall any sort of card that would be dark blue…and yet this one was.

A few teardrops fell on her knee as she stared at it.

'It's The Claw of Hermos,' Mai explained, seeing the confusion. 'The sign of a Legendary Knight: one of the three who, ten thousand years ago, fought the great Leviathan and defeated him.' She lowered her gaze. 'There are three cards like this. Cards that only appear when the souls of those legendary warriors are awakened in their current reincarnations. That is why Dartz wants the three of them defeated: Yugi, Kaiba and Jonouchi. He fears the power of the Legendary Warriors; he fears the power of those cards in the hands of the right duellists.' Her voice shook at the end; Shizuka's hand shook as well. Both of them knew the card belonged to Jonounchi, and not them. 'And now I've done it for him.' Mai's nails dug into her knees.

Shizuka looked at the card again, processing that. It explained why Jonouchi was always fighting to save someone, to save something. Even if it was so unbelievable, so outrageous… 'My brother is a reincarnated knight?' she laughed quietly, disguising her renewed sobs. 'You and I are just ordinary people who can't do a thing to help him.'

'I plan to help.' Mai's tears had dried up, her hands were steady now as she took the card back from Shizuka before it creased, replacing it into her holster. 'I know I'll have to depend on Yugi and Kaiba to beat; I know I'm not strong enough to –'

'You _are_ strong!' Shizuka cried. 'You're the strongest woman I know!' She looked down again. 'Stronger than me, and I admired you for that. Next to my brother, you're the one I love the most, and that's why I – ' Her words were tumbling over each other, and by the time she registered what she'd said, the rest was falling from her lips. ' – I don't want to lose you too.'

Mai's eyes were dry now as she stared at Shizuka. Shizuka, Jonouchi's little sister; the little sister of the man she thought she'd fallen in love with. But looking at Shizuka now: her shining eyes, surprised at her own words but not prepared to take them back. Shizuka trying to stop the woman who'd stolen her brother's soul, who'd put her brother though so much and shown no gratefulness for it, from attempting a pointless quest.

But she had to. It was her responsibility, even if it was hopeless, impossible. 'I don't deserve either of you,' Mai said, her voice distant, quiet. 'Both of you are too wonderful for me. You shouldn't love me.'

'You can't help that, Mai.' Somehow, Shizuka's own tears had dried, and her voice steadied. Maybe it was the outwardly calm radiating towards her. Maybe it was that strength she admired being passed on. 'You can't help my brother loving you. You can't help me loving you too.'

'I suppose I can't.' Mai smiled slightly, standing up. 'I can help getting your brother back though; I can help putting that smile of yours back on your face.'

'I guess I can't stop you then.' Shizuka looked at the wet dots on her knees, before forcing a grin on her face. 'You go bring him back so we can fight over who wins you.'

It would be Jonouchi; it had to be him. Shizuka didn't want to take the woman he loved away from him, even if she'd blurted out she loved her too. But she'd set the cards on the table now; it had slipped out without conscious direction, conscious thought. No sibling love or quarrelling would rectify that now. It was all up to Mai.


End file.
